I'll take the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye;
But me and my true love
Will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond
That's the only verse I know.
Friday, we (Mike, Sarah, Josie, Hattie, Mary and me) headed up to Scotland to camp at Balgair Castle. I had never been to Loch Lomond, which is the largest stretch of water on the British Isles separating the lowlands and highlands of Scotland.
Proof for Andrew that there is such a place named Ecclefechan.
Chicken Licken lives there.
Once there, the kids headed to the pool and we made work on some BBQ sausages for dinner.
That night, I was reminded that the Scots are loud.
The next day was the Loch Lomond Highland Festival and Celtic Gathering. Once parked, we weren't sure where the festival was being held. So we just followed this guy. He looked like he was off to gather with some Celts.
This is the time of year for Highland Festivals in Scotland. The Loch Lomond festivities are held in a pretty little town called Balloch which sits at the foot of Loch Lomond, in West Dunbartonshire.
I usually eat a lot when I go home. The Brits know how to make a real cream cake, the pies are delicious, and I find things in the supermarket that I'd forgotten about, like Scotch Broth and Penguin Biscuits. Plus, my mum keeps a good stock of goodies.
At the games, I found a food stand serving all kinds of yummy Scottish food like Cullen Skink, Clootie Pudding, Rumbledethumps and this yummy hotdog with haggis and chili sauce. I like haggis and black pudding. Americans are squeamish about haggis, they say it's "gross". That's funny; I am pretty sure there's nothing in a haggis quite as offensive as what you would find in a hotdog.
The picture to the right is Rumbledethump, in case you were wondering.
Scottish games consist mainly of big men throwing big things as far as they can.
The girls taking a break after investing their money in magic markers and tattoos.
We stopped a while to watch the dancing. Highland dancing is tough, it takes some pretty intricate footwork and stamina.
We then headed off to grab some ice-cream and take a cruise on Loch Lomond. The lake is huge (around 25 miles long), so we only cruised around the bottom curb. We saw lots of Scottishy things like castles and estates.
On the way home, we ate dinner at the Kippen Inn. I had traveled through Kippen that morning looking for a corner shop to buy bread/cereal/milk for breakfast. I drove approximately 593 miles before I found a man on a bike who could give me directions to the nearest "place".
That night, it was difficult to fall asleep with loud conversations in the background and men climbing trees to breaking off limbs to feed their fires. Mary didn't hear anything. Her dad once slept like a baby while an army tank drove a few feet from his head. She has inherited this trait.
Mary, the sleeper
We ate like kings. For the record, British chickens just taste better.
The next day, we went to Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park. I was impressed; you could spend two full days here, there is so much to do and see.
The Bird of Prey Experience was pretty interesting and Mary got to see her favorite bird up close, the Peregrine Falcon. According to Mary, it is the fastest animal on earth during it's dive for prey.
Sarah enjoyed her ride on the safari Jeep
The roaming Lemurs were a little intimidating. For me, anyway.
The safari experience was quite exciting and we saw bison, camels, deer, rhinos, lechwe, lions and some other animals I didn't recognize.
I was a tad nervous on this drive. A few days before, my mum's convertible had an electronic malfunction when the windows randomly began to roll down, without me having pressed any buttons. What if it had another malfunction and the top began to roll back? We would be driving an open convertible through the lion enclosure. I figured I could drive a car faster than the lion could run (lions in captivity are surely not in great shape) and, if not, I could throw them some chocolate chip granola bars.
The next day, we headed to Stirling Castle.
Robert the Bruce!
We took a kids tour and learned about James V, checked out the King's Old Building, Royal Palace, Great Hall, gardens and the Outer Close.
The palace was built upon order of James V for his new wife, it is covered in ornate stone carvings and gothic details. Back in the day, it was painted with bright colors and king's gold. Inside, there are many colorful circular carved oak portraits. The history of the whole place is almost overwhelming.
I recommend a visit to Stirling Castle if you have kids. Mary enjoyed the tour and there are activities to keep them occupied. They even have dress up for the adults! Or the kids.
A cruel portrait for a nine year old. A unicorn hunted down.
The gardens are pretty.
During the tour, we learned about a brutal royal murder.
In February 1452. William, 8th Earl of Douglas was assassinated at Stirling Castle by James II and his courtiers. Legend says that he was stabbed 26 times. His corpse is said to have been thrown from a window down into the area now known as the Douglas Gardens.
So, Mary wanted to go and see where he landed.
We estimated it was somewhere around that tree
Time to head back to Carlisle!
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